TANKS FOR DISCUS


For Discus fish, there are 2 consideration in tanks - tank depth and volume. Because of their size and swimming habits, a minimum of 18" is needed for tank depth, the deeper the better. Regarding volume, a good rule of thumb is that each adult discus will need 10 gallons of water. Larger tanks will also give more stable water conditions, and taking into account other considerations the minimum size for a discus show tank should be no less than 55 gallons. It is also advisable to use a rectangular tank. Not only are they cheaper, but are more efficient, because they maximize surface area. Surface area is the most important factor in buying a tank. Why? Because it is only at the surface of the tank that gas exchange occurs. (Oxygen in, Carbon dioxide out.) Assuming you have a seventy five gallon show tank, and it's biological filter is working as required, up to twenty young fish 3 inches in size, or 6 or 8 fully adult discus can comfortably inhabit the tank. An outside filter may be added to large tanks to increase basic aeration and biological filtration needs.

Keep in mind that when young discus fish are small,they grow fast and become quite large in a short period of time if fed well and water quality is maintained. If your tank is too small they will not be happy and it will quickly stunt their growth. Juvenile discus should not be kept in overly large tanks. Being a social fish, Discus tend to become very skittish in large tanks. In our hatchery, we place 6 Discus up to 1.5" in a 29-gallon tank. They will be moved tp larger tanks when they get to 2.5", and show possible signs of "pairing off". Always try to buy the largest tank you can afford for discus fish.

If breeding Discus is a consideration later on, tanks can be down sized to twenty gallons per pair. At our hatchery, 29 gallon rectangular glass tanks are utilized for every breeding pair.


HOW TO INTRODUCE DISCUS IN TANK:


1. Float the bag in the tank for approximately 10 minutes to allow the water temperature to equalise between the bag and your tank.

2. Once you are satisfied that the fish have acclimatised, tilt the bag and allow the fish to swim out into the tanks. Please remember that the more patient you are with step 4 the less stressful the transition from tank to bag.

3. The tank lights should remain off until the following day whilst the fish adjust to their new environment.

4. 24 hours after placing the fish in your tank you may switch the lights on. Allow 30 minutes to an hour for the fish to adjust to the lights before adding any food to the tanks.


FEEDING FOR DISCUS FISH:


DISCUS WANT TO BE FEED TWICE TO THRICE IN A DAY.

THE GOOD QUALITY FOOD FOR DISCUS ARE STATED AS FOLLOWS.


1. Tetra Bits
2. Mosquito Larvae
3. Daphnia (for small discus fry)
4. Glass Worms
5. Frozen Blood Worms (Live blood worms sometimes carry parasites)
6. Earth Worms
7. White Worms
8. Adult Brine Shrimp


DISCUS FISH BREEDING:


Here are ways to determine the sex of your discus

1. Size - Compare the size of your discus. Male discus tends to be bigger than the female.

2. The dorsal and anal fins - Take a good look at the dorsal and anal fins of your discus. If they are rounded then that’s a female and if pointed then it’s a male.

3. Head - Male discus forehead is little bigger & rounded that female 

4. The colour and pattern of your discus

Look at the colour and pattern of your discus fish, compare them to one another in the tank. Male discus fish tend to have less intense colour but have more pattern while the female tends to be more colourful but with lesser pattern.

The most important factor in discus breeding is water quality, make sure it is soft, acidic and clean. If you have discus ready to lay eggs there are a few ways by which you can  get good result.

The first way you can tempt them to lay is to feed a rich diet of frozen bloodworms or good beef heart mix for about a week.  This should condition the female and get her ready to breed. Make sure you buy frozen food as there is less chance of disease.

Another way to encourage your discus to breed is by doing a 25% water change (trigger for spawning) but drop the temperature by a couple of degrees of the water going in. This is a little trick I use on all my young pairs when trying to get them to spawn. Make sure all the pH and hardness is the same making only the temperature different.

FRY RAISING:

Once the couple has started to spawn, you can expect a new batch of eggs to be laid every week or every second week. The eggs will normally hatch within 48-72 hours and the fry is free-swimming after another 72 hours. The free swimming fry will swim up to their parents and start feeding on a special type of nutritious mucus produced by the skin of the parents. They can continue to feed off their parents for several weeks, but you should start giving them newly hatched brine shrimp as well when they have been free swimming for 5-6 days.